


A Very Good Place To Start

by Southerner_holby



Category: Dominic Copeland/Lofty, Holby City
Genre: M/M, holby city - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-12 20:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11744703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Southerner_holby/pseuds/Southerner_holby
Summary: Dom and Lofty meet at high school and become friends. Will they become something more?





	1. Chapter 1

“Ben! You need to get up or you will be late on your first day!” Lofty’s mother always called him Ben. It was only his parents who called him that even though he hated it. Lofty was about to start his first day at Northbridge High School after his parents moved there because they found better jobs. He didn’t want to leave his old school but they didn’t really give him a choice. They promised ‘a fresh start’ and ‘new friends’ but he didn’t believe them.

“Mum, calm down, I’m getting up!” After getting up ten minutes after he said he would, Lofty put on the hideous new uniform of a white shirt and green tie and blazer. He much preferred his old uniform which missed out the blazer part and had a jumper instead. It was a lot more comfortable.

……………………………………………………………………………

At 8:45, the school bell rang and everyone was quickly walking to class. Form time was the bit Lofty dreaded the most. He would have to sit on his own for twenty minutes with everyone ignoring him because he was the ‘new kid’. The new kid never made friends so he wasn’t even going to bother trying. Just get year 11 out of the way and then you can go somewhere where everyone is new. He kept telling himself this but it never helped to calm his nerves.

“Excuse me, can you please tell me where 11G’s form room is?” Lofty had found a boy, who looked about his age, to ask for directions. He was quite small, slim, and had light brown hair in a quiff. 

“I’m just heading there now, you can follow me if you like.” The boy smiled and began walking through endless corridors.

They both walked in silence for a while until they reached a door. Lofty was left at the front while the other boy went and sat down.

“Ah, you must be Ben, welc  
ome, could you please go and sit down next to Dominic, over there.” Mr Griffin, their form tutor, directed Lofty to the seat next to the boy he followed.  
Dom turned away to look out of the window as he sat down next to him.

“Now, everyone, this year is a big year for you, what happens between now and July will determine your whole future. Make it count, or you will regret it.” Mr Griffin opened his mouth to say something else.

“Yeah, yeah sir, we know, start revising now and all that.” A blonde girl sitting in a large group interrupted him. Everyone laughed at this comment except Dom and Lofty.

“Okay everyone, settle down, I’m serious, don’t waste the precious little time you have.”

Just then, the bell rang and everyone abruptly stood up and left the room.

“Hey, what class have you got next?” Dom turned to Lofty and smiled.

“Erm…” Lofty pulled his timetable out of his pocket. “Maths with Mr Branson.”

“Great, follow me, you’re in my class.” Dom smiled and followed everyone else out of the classroom.

“Thanks.” Lofty was so grateful that someone was happy to show him where his classes where. His main worries were getting lost and not having any friends but Dom seemed to have sorted both of those problems.

In maths, Lofty sat next to Dom because that was the only spare seat. They were in top set and while everyone else was chatting, they helped each other with their work. Mr Branson helped them if they needed it and he seemed to have great faith that they would do well in their exams.

After maths was Spanish with Mrs Perez.

Again, the only spare seat was next to Dom, Lofty thought that this was odd. They were both in top set for this as well.

“Oi, Ben, why don’t you come and sit over here?” A girl shouted from the other side of the room.

“No thank you, I’m happy sitting here.” Lofty replied calmly, not wanting to start an argument on his first day.

“Why would you want to sit with him, he’s weird!” Everyone started laughing which angered Lofty.

“Because I do, is there a problem with that?” Lofty didn’t care what people thought of him, he was only here for a year.

“No, just don’t think you’re being invited to my Christmas party if you hang around with that weirdo.” The girl looked very angry at the fact that Dom had friends.

“I didn’t want to come anyway, I will actually be revising over Christmas because I want to do well, unlike you, clearly.” 

“What did you just say?” She practically shouted across the room.

“Elinor, stop shouting across the classroom or I will just send you outside!”

The whole class went quiet but Lofty felt extremely smug about what had just happened. Dom wouldn’t look at him after that and he wanted to know why.

At lunch later in the day, Lofty was looking for a spare seat away from everyone else when he saw Dom sitting on his own. He walked quickly over to sit across from him.

“Hey, Dom, thanks for letting me follow you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Dom just looked down at the table in front of him, he wouldn’t look at Lofty at all.

“Why doesn’t anyone sit next to you in class?” Lofty’s question made Dom nervous. He immediately got up and left the table.

“I need to go.” He left Lofty looking confused. Had he said something wrong? After lunch, Lofty got lost on his way to science and he sat next to Dom but neither of them said a word for the entire lesson.

………………………………………………………………….

Ten past three came around rather quickly but Lofty was pleased about it. He planned to catch up with Dom to talk to him about what happened. He waited outside the school gates and was just about to leave when he saw Dom walk straight past him down a street that no one else went down.

“Dom, please wait, I want to know what’s wrong.” Lofty had to shout because Dom was moving so fast.

“You’ve known me for a day and suddenly you want to know what’s wrong?”

“Yes, I might be able to help, I’m sorry if I did something to upset you.” Lofty was walking so fast his legs hurt trying to keep up with Dom.

“You can’t help, no one can help me.” Dom just wanted Lofty to go away.

“Why not?” Lofty said breathlessly.

“Because I’m gay, Ben! I’m gay and there is nothing you can do to help me!” Dom shouted and he stopped to look at Lofty. “No one sits next to me because I am a freak, a weirdo, not normal, and now that’s what you think. I will go back to sitting on my own with no one to talk to. So, it was nice knowing you, but if you really want to make friends then you will stay away from me!”

Dom walked off, leaving Lofty standing alone.

Dom went home and laid on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow, lofty would just stay away from him, now that he knew who he really was. Part of him was sad about that, Lofty was nice, with cute, curly black hair, a button nose… stop! He wasn’t developing a crush on the friend he just lost, was he?


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Dom was worried that Lofty might not talk to him at all. He thought he finally found a friend after years of not having any. People stopped being his friend a few years ago, when they found out he was gay. This thought shouldn’t worry him because he was used to losing friends when they found out, so why was he worried?

A couple of streets away, Lofty had just woken up. He spent most of last night thinking about what Dom had said. He knew he didn’t care about the fact that Dom was gay, he was the nicest boy he had ever met, so kind, so good looking…stop! Did he have a crush on him?

…………………………………………………………………….

Later that morning, Lofty caught up with Dom at the gates and just whispered in his ear.

“Join the club.” And then Lofty walked away, leaving Dom very confused.

Dom wondered what club Lofty was talking about. Did he mean, no… was Lofty gay? He made a mental note to ask him later.

In form, Lofty sat with Dom, like yesterday, but there was some tension between them. Neither were speaking but Lofty kept smiling at Dom, so Dom kept smiling back. He couldn’t help but notice how nice Lofty’s smile was, it was as though he never wanted to stop seeing Lofty smile.

The bell suddenly rang which startled them both. 

As the day dragged more than it did yesterday, Dom grew more and more eager to find out what Lofty had meant by ‘join the club’. Join what club? He couldn’t get it off his mind and, as a result, he didn’t pay much attention to what was being said in class all day.

…………………………………………………………………..

By the end of the day, Dom was extremely impatient to find Lofty and ask him what he meant, but he couldn’t find him anywhere. He wasn’t at the school gates. Therefore, Dom assumed that he no longer wanted to be friends after he found out the truth. He was just about to start the short walk home when a voice called out to him.

“Dom!” Dom turned around to see Lofty running after him with a huge smile on his face. 

“Hey, Ben, what did you mean…” Dom started to question him when Lofty interrupted.

“Please, call me Lofty, only my parents and teachers call me Ben, I absolutely hate the name… it’s a long story.” Lofty could see the questioning look on Dom’s face as he said the name ‘Lofty’ but he couldn’t be bothered to go into details.

“Okay, Lofty, what did you mean this morning, when you said, ‘join the club’?” 

“Shhh!” Lofty pulled Dom away from people that might be listening. “I meant, that I am also gay, so join the club.” Lofty laughed a little. “So, can we be friends now?”

“Yeah, I suppose, you’ve been smiling at me all day which was, a little creepy, but yeah.” Dom started to smile at his new friend. He had never met someone who was like him before.

They started to walk home and they talked about anything and everything.

“So, Lofty, have you told your parents yet? About you being gay?”

“No, I only found out myself recently and they are the last people I want knowing. I’m scared about how they would handle it, with me being their only son and everything.”

“Yeah, I mean, I realised quite a few years ago but they still don’t know. I’m pretty sure my dad would kick me out if he ever knew so it’s best to keep it quiet.”

“Well, I’ll make you a little deal, I tell my parents and you tell yours? If they kick you out, come to my house, my mum and dad won’t mind. I’ll write my address down for you.” Lofty got a pen and started writing his address on Dom’s hand, due to the lack of paper.

“Okay fine, but you tell yours first.”

“Fine, I will do it tonight.”

“Good luck!” Dom shouted as they went their separate ways. He wanted to put off telling his parents for as long as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's not very long or interesting... I promise the next chapter will be better x


	3. Chapter 3

That evening, Lofty and his parents were sat around the dining table eating their dinner in silence when he decided that he should probably tell them. It was now or never.

“Mum, dad?” He began, both of his parents stopped eating and looked directly at him.

“Erm, so I’ve been thinking about it… and it turns out that I’m gay.”

He looked at his mother first, who at tears in her eyes. She then said the last thing Lofty was expecting to hear.

“I know, Ben, your father and I have always known. And we couldn’t be prouder.”

His mum then went back to eating her dinner. The conversation was clearly over until his dad had something to say.

“Ben, if you ever want to bring boys home, then you can, it’s okay.”

“Thank you.” The meal continued as normal after that. Lofty was surprised at how well his parents had taken it, he just hoped that Dom’s parents took it well.

…………………………………………………………..

The next morning, Lofty caught up with Dom on the way to school to tell him the news.

“Dom! My parents took it well, they already knew apparently but I can’t see how!” Lofty laughed but Dom couldn’t help but look terrified.

“Dom? What’s wrong? I thought you would be happy for me.

“I am, believe me I am happy for you, but that means I have to tell my parents and I can’t break the deal.” Dom kept looking ahead of him as if he was walking towards the gates of hell.

“Look, if it goes badly, pack a bag and come to my house. My dad said it’s okay and I will clear out a drawer for you and everything.” Lofty squeezed Dom’s arm, something neither of them were expecting.

“Thanks, I’ll pack my bag as soon as I get home.” They continued to walk to class together in silence.

In lessons, Dom seemed distracted all day but Lofty knew why so he couldn’t blame him. He kept trying to offer words of encouragement and reassurance but nothing was helping.

……………………………………………………………

After school, Dom walked home with a feeling of dread. He didn’t look anywhere but at the floor, even when Lofty was trying to talk to him.

When they separated to go home, Dom finally said something.

“I’ll see you later then.” He said it glumly, which made Lofty sad. He didn’t like seeing Dom sad. 

“Good luck!” Lofty tried to sound optimistic but it wasn’t very convincing. 

When Lofty arrived home, he needed to ask his parents if Dom could stay the night.

“Dad? I have a friend who might need to stay the night tonight, is that okay? He might be having an argument with his parents and I said he could stay.”

“Yes, that’s fine. What kind of argument?” He questioned Lofty.

“Erm, well, he’s telling his parents that he is gay and they might not take it as well as you did. Meaning that they might kick him out.”

“Of course, he can stay as long as he needs to.”

“Thank you!” Lofty hugged his father and then ran upstairs to clear out a drawer and make the extra bed in his bedroom. He was slightly nervous about the prospect of Dom staying the night, even just as friends… why was he nervous?

…………………………………………………………

At Dom’s house, Dom and his parents were sat in the living room watching the television when, suddenly, Dom found some courage. He turned off the TV, and stood up directly in front of his parents.

“Dominic, what on earth are you doing? I was watching that, put it back on!” His dad said sternly.

“No, dad, I have to tell you something.” Dom stood with his head held high.

“Well get on with it then, I’m missing Pointless.”

“There is something I have been meaning to tell you for a few years.” Dom took a deep breath. “I’m gay.” He mumbled, not really wanting his parents to hear him.

“What? Speak louder!”

“I’m gay! Okay? I’m gay. For the past three years I have known and there is a really cute guy called Lofty at school and…” He was interrupted by his father shouting. He quickly stood up and walked extremely close to Dom’s face.

“No! You can’t be! Why couldn’t you just be normal like everyone else? Why did we have to get the freak Carol? I want you out of my house now!” His dad’s face was red and he was standing extremely close to him. Dom found it hard to breath.

“Look, Dom, I think it’s best if you leave.” Carol seemed apologetic but she hated seeing her husband angry.

Dom ran upstairs, grabbed his bag and a few extra things, and ran out of the door as quickly as he could. He headed straight for Lofty’s house with tears in his eyes. He was expecting that but he didn’t expect it to be that bad. They had thrown him out at the first chance and now he would never have a home to go to. 

As he approached Lofty’s home, he suddenly felt happier. He would finally be somewhere where he was accepted. He just wanted to see Lofty.

When Dom knocked on the door, a tall man with brown hair and kind eyes opened the door.

“Hello, you must be Ben’s friend, come in.” He opened the door wider so he could come in.

“If you go up the stairs and to the right, his room is there.”

“Thank you, erm…”

“Jeff, it’s nice to meet you.” He held out his hand for Dom to shake.

“It’s nice to meet you too, I’m Dom, thank you for letting me stay.” Dom shook his hand and then made his way up the stairs towards Lofty’s room.

“Dom!” Lofty shouted as he saw him outside his bedroom door. He ran up and hugged him tightly.

“It didn’t go well then?” Lofty asked, although he already knew the answer. Dom shook his head as he cried into Lofty’s shoulder. He couldn’t help but feel more at home here than at his own house with parents that didn’t want him. 

After a while of just holding each other, they moved to sit on Lofty’s bed. 

“My parents said you can stay as long as you need to.” Lofty said, putting his hand on Dom’s shoulder.

“I might need to stay forever.” Dom replied apologetically, tears still streaming down his face.

“Then you will, I’m not letting you go back there unless you want to.” 

“No, I am never going back there.”

“Then here is home. I cleared out a drawer for your clothes, you can have a shelf and there is plenty of room under your bed. I can make more space in the wardrobe so you can hang stuff up and…” 

“Lofty, you don’t need to do this.” Dom interrupted.

“Yes, I do, I want to help you, and I want you to stay.” They smiled at each other when someone shouted from downstairs.

“Ben! Dom! Dinners ready!” Lofty’s mother, Susan, had made enough food to feed the street, just in case Dom had come around after all. 

They all sat at the dining table together, talking about random stuff. It felt normal for Dom to be there, like he was already part of the family.

“Dom, did you like that?” Susan asked.

“I did, thank you so much.” Dom replied.

Afterwards, Dom and Lofty made their way back upstairs to do their homework. Neither wanted to admit that they just wanted to spend more time with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy it! Any comments are welcome! x


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all like this. I really enjoyed writing it! Any comments are welcome and appreciated! x

A few months later, on a cold January morning, Lofty’s alarm woke them both up and they suddenly looked at each other in a new light.

Dom thought that Lofty looked adorable with his messy hair and Lofty thought Dom looked cute when he was tired.

“Morning Dom.” Lofty said grumpily, breaking the silence.

“Hmm, morning.” Dom was extremely grumpy as he remembered the events of the previous evening. 

“I’ll go and get changed in the bathroom.” Lofty didn’t want to make Dom feel uncomfortable.

“No, it’s okay, you don’t have to do that all the time, we’ve seen each other in PE so how is this any different?” They both laughed nervously and began to get changed into their school uniforms. 

Neither tried to get caught staring at the other so they would only ‘glance’ for a second at a time... Just like in PE. Sometimes, they would both be staring at each other for a few long seconds and then would turn away. This meant that it took longer to get ready than usual, and they were not going to apologise for it.

They walked to school wrapped up in coats and scarves and they talked about what they might have got in the mock exams.

“I’ve failed English literature. That exam was horrible!” Lofty said grumpily. English literature was his weakest subject.

“Look, Lofty, if you fail then I will help you to prepare for the real thing. I’ve failed geography so you could help me with that.”

“It’s a deal.” Lofty shook Dom’s hand, holding on for longer than was necessary.

They continued walking to school talking about their other subjects.

………………………………………………………………

“Right, everyone.” Mr Griffin addressed the class. “I have your mock results here. Some of you have done better than others but please use this to learn from your mistakes and to ensure that you are fully prepared for the real thing in June.” He began handing them out which made Dom and Lofty extremely nervous.

As he reached their desk, he smiled.

“No! I failed English lit.” Lofty said, putting his head in his hands.

“But you got A’s and A*s in everything else… Well done!” Dom reassured him. “I failed geography so I guess a deal’s a deal.”

“Yes, we will start tomorrow night, I need to cry about it tonight.” Lofty laughed.

“No, you don’t, if we don’t start revising tonight then we never will.”

“Fine, we start tonight.” Lofty smiled at how encouraging Dom was being.

……………………………………………………….......

After dinner that evening, they pulled up an extra chair to Lofty’s desk and they began revising. They both silently decided to put their feelings for each other on hold while they do their exams.

Every day after that was the same, arrive at the school library at 7:30, leave school at 16:00, revise straight after dinner, go to bed at 21:00. This routine soon became normal and they both revised together trying to put their feelings for each other aside. Both found it quite hard but they did their best to focus on their revision.

……………………………………………………………...

Before they knew it, exam time was here so they began testing each other. This was more productive because they could stare at each other as much as they wanted to without it being weird or creepy. They continued to help each other with English literature and geography so they both began to improve.

………………………………………………………………

Before the geography exam, Lofty was trying to reassure Dom.

“Look, Dom, you know everything there is to know, you are going to do amazing, good luck!” Lofty hugged Dom tightly.

“Thank you so much for your help, if I pass it is all thanks to you!” Dom hugged back and it gave him comfort somehow. 

“No, you put all the hard work in.”

“Good luck, Lofty!”

Then, they started going into the exam. Dom took a deep breath and went into the exam.

……………………………………………………………….

The same thing happened before English literature.

“No, Dom, I can’t do it.”

“Yes, you flaming well can! You have worked so hard for this and you deserve to do well. Good luck!”

“Thank you, Dom, good luck!”

……………………………………………………………….

After all the exams were over, they faced a few months of waiting for results day. Neither slept the night before so they turned on the computer and watched a film while sitting on Lofty’s bad against the wall. Dom was sitting so close to Lofty and he just wanted to reach out and hold his hand but he didn’t have the courage. He was too nervous about his results. What Dom didn’t know was that Lofty was thinking the exact same thing.

……………………………………………………………..  
As they set off for school, they both took deep breaths in unison and Lofty stopped as he reached the door to the hall. 

“I can’t do it, I’ve failed everything and I won’t get into college and…” Lofty was hyperventilating.

“Lofty, take deep breaths, if you have failed, which you haven’t, we will sort it out and you will still get into college. I promise.” Dom squeezed Lofty’s arm and looked into his eyes to reassure him.

They walked slowly into the hall and were given their envelopes. Then, they walked back outside not noticing how many teachers were smiling at them. As they sat on a wall outside, Lofty was shaking and Dom was doing his best to stay calm for both of their sakes. 

“We will open them on three… one, two, three.” They both opened their envelopes and smiles appeared on their faces.

Lofty then began crying as he told Dom what he had got. “I got A’s and A*s in everything. Dom, I got an A in English literature… thank you so much!” Just then, without meaning to, Lofty pulled Dom in for a kiss. Neither of them were expecting it but they both extremely enjoyed it. As Dom pulled away, Lofty was expecting to be rejected.

“I got an A in geography and A’s and A*s in everything else too!” Dom pulled Lofty back in for a deeper kiss and they sat there, on the wall, for a very long time.

“We should probably go home and tell my mum and dad what we both got.” Lofty suggested shyly. 

“Yes, okay.” Dom took Lofty’s hand as they walked home in silence until Lofty had something else to say.

“I have loved you for a very long time, you know.” 

Dom smiled at him. “I have loved you for even longer.” He squeezed Lofty’s hand.

“Dom, I would support you if you wanted to tell your parents your grades…”

Dom suddenly interrupted. “No. They don’t want me as a son so they don’t get to find out my grades.”

“Okay, but just so you know, I am really proud of you.” Lofty kissed Dom’s cheek.

“I am really proud of you too.” Dom stopped and pulled Lofty in for another kiss.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this chapter, any comments are more than welcome! x

It was the day before school started and Lofty woke up to the sight of Dom looking at his phone and frowning.

“Dom?” He asked apprehensively.

“What?” Dom replied.

“Why are you frowning? And don’t lie.” Lofty said to Dom from his bed.

“Erm, I just… I just got a text from my mum…” Dom seemed quite nervous about this.

“And?” Lofty encouraged him to continue.

“She wants me to… move back in with her. Apparently, she finally kicked my dad out and wants me back.” He seemed extremely apprehensive. 

“Well, that’s good. Isn’t it?”

“I’m not sure, it’s just, here has felt more like home than my old house ever did, and I don’t want to leave you, I’d miss you too much.” 

“You wouldn’t be leaving me, if you ever did that I would hunt you down!” They both laughed. “Your house is literally down the road. Of course, I don’t want you to leave, you have been here for months and it would be weird without you, but it would be good for you to reconnect with your mum.” Lofty tried to sound like it would be a good idea but he really didn’t want Dom to move out. 

 

“Well, when you put it like that… I’ll pack my bags!” Lofty whacked Dom’s arm in the hopes that he was joking. 

“But seriously, Lofty, if I went back home, I promise we will still see each other because we are going to the same sixth form to study the same subject’s you idiot.” Dom smiled at the thought of seeing Lofty every single day even if they were living apart.

“I will never stop loving you, Dom, so you going home would not make an ounce of difference. I promise.” Lofty kissed Dom’s forehead and pulled him in for a cuddle.

“Okay then, maybe we should talk to your parents about it first, so they don’t think I am leaving just like that.” Dom suggested.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Come on then, shall we go and get some breakfast?” Lofty asked as his stomach started rumbling.

“Yes! I am so hungry!” Dom jumped up, grabbed Lofty’s hand and led him out of the room towards the kitchen.

…………………………………………………………………….

Dom, Lofty and his parents were eating breakfast in a comfortable silence when Dom thought it was a good time to bring up the subject of him moving back home.

“So, erm, Jeff, Susan, there is something I need to talk to you about.” Lofty’s parents looked up at him expectantly. “I received a text message from my mum this morning, and she wants me to come home. I have been thinking about it and I think I would like to go home.” He was nervous about their response.

“Well, as long as that is what you want, but you will always be welcome here, Dom. As far as we are concerned, you are part of this family whether you live here or not. Ben has been a lot happier since you  
have come to stay, so thank you for that. And yes, we do know that you are in a relationship. I know love when I see it.” Jeff continued eating his toast.

Dom and Lofty both spluttered out their orange juice. “Right, well, if you want me to pay you back for anything then just let me know.”

“That will not be necessary, we have loved having you here and it was the least we could do after you had nowhere else to go.” Jeff replied.

Just then, Dom noticed that Susan had tears in her eyes at the thought of him leaving but he didn’t want to make a big deal of it.

“Right, I guess I’ll go and pack then.” He got up from the table and walked upstairs to his and Lofty’s shared room. Lofty soon joined him and helped to pack his belongings. School books and notes filled an entire suitcase which had been bought for Dom by Lofty’s parents while several more bags and boxes were filled with clothes, a laptop, several pairs of shoes and other random items.

“Do you want this back?” Dom asked, interrupting the silence, gesturing to the lamp on his bedside table.

“No, I bought it for you so you keep itl.” Lofty replied as he continued what he was doing.

Lofty kept looking up and staring at Dom. Doing things together felt so normal and they both wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Neither were making much effort to pack quickly because they didn’t want this time to end. They both knew that it was time for Dom to go home but neither wanted to admit how they really felt about not seeing each other all the time.

A little while later, all of Dom’s things were by the front door and he began saying his goodbyes.

Susan went first and she hugged him tightly. “If you ever need to come back, then you can… and I baked you some cookies for you and your mother to enjoy.” Tears filled her eyes. “There will always be a place for you here.”

“Thank you, I really do appreciate it.” Dom replied. He then stuck out his hand to give Jeff a handshake but was surprised when he also pulled him in for a hug.

“You take care of yourself, if she ever does anything to you then just give me a call and I will sort her out!” Dom smiled at this genuine promise.

Once Dom had said goodbye to Lofty’s parents, he made his way outside along with Lofty so they could do it in private. They faced each other, both stood on the path, just taking in this last moment together until school tomorrow. This would be the longest they had spent apart in a very long time.

“Lofty, I want you to know, that, erm… we will still see each other every day and nothing is going to change between us. I will always love you, I hope you know that.” Dom was the one with tears in his eyes now. 

“I know, I love you too, and I always will.” Lofty suddenly pulled Dom in for a tight hug. “I am going to miss you so much… will you text me to let me know that you are okay?”

“Of course, I will text you all the time! Well, I’d better get going, see you tomorrow.” He kissed Lofty goodbye and made his way down the path towards the pavement. He did is best not to look back but he couldn’t help but take one last look at the love of his life. Things would never be the same, now that there was more distance between them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all like this chapter! Any comments are welcome, as always! X

About a year later, nothing had really changed; Dom and Lofty were still very much in love and they were both extremely happy.

During one of their free periods, they decided to go for a walk around the local park in order to destress from their A level studies. As they walked hand in hand, Lofty decided to break the silence.

“Dom, what will happen when we go to university?”

“Nothing. We will still be in a relationship no matter what happens, I promise. You don’t need to worry.” Dom smiled at Lofty.

“Okay. I am just worried that, because we will be going to universities at different ends of the country for five years and I really don’t want to lose you Dom.” Lofty tightened his grip on Dom’s hand as they continued to walk around the park. 

“You will never lose me. I couldn’t bare it if I ever lost you. But, Lofty, I can’t promise that we won’t grow apart, if we do then we do. But maybe we should just make the most of the time we have left before that happens?” 

“Yes, I agree, let’s just spend as much time together as possible before university. You know I love you, right?”

“I know. I love you too, Lofty.” Dom stopped and placed a quick kiss on Lofty’s lips. “Maybe we should get back, biology starts soon, and you know how much Mr Griffin hates it when people are late, I’ll race you!” Dom started running back to school while Lofty struggled to jog behind him. 

When they eventually arrived at biology, both were breathless as Mr Griffin asked where they had been. “Come on, you won’t get into medical school if you end up being late.”

“Sorry, Sir.” They both replied and took their seats next to each other, sitting as close as was physically possible.  
…………………………………………………………………….

As they walked home from school, Lofty had something extremely important to tell Dom.

“Dom, I, erm, I need to tell you something.” Lofty was nervous.

“What is it? You are worrying me now.” Dom stopped and looked at Lofty, not letting go of his hand once.

“I don’t want to be a doctor anymore. It sounds like such a stressful job and I couldn’t cope with having to save people’s lives every day.”

“Okay, so, what are you going to do instead?” Dom genuinely seemed okay with it which made Lofty relax.

“Erm, I was thinking of doing a nursing degree instead. I would be much more comfortable with that. Is that okay?”

“Lofty, of course it is okay. I will always support you no matter what you choose and you didn’t have to be so nervous about telling me. I love you and that is all that matters.” Dom took the opportunity to kiss Lofty again, and he didn’t care who saw.

“I love you too.” Lofty smiled as he gazed as the boy he loved, he never wanted to let him go.

However, with their final A level exams just around the corner, things would never be the same after results day.   
……………………………………………………………….....

After school revision classes had begun so both Dom and Lofty were spending more and more time at school as exams grew nearer. They found it easier to revise with each other so that is exactly what they did. Dom would test Lofty on Biology, chemistry and maths and then Lofty would test Dom. Sometimes Dom would stay over at Lofty’s house when they revised for hours and Dom fell asleep. 

When they eventually woke up the following morning, they would sometimes be wrapped in one another’s arms and neither would want to move. However, the motivation of the other person would make them want to get up… eventually. 

After months of revision and hard work, the exams had finally begun. Neither had anticipated just how hard they would be. First up was biology and they had a long walk to school together to test each other and calm down. 

“Come on Dom, you can do this, I know you can. You just need to believe in yourself, because I believe you can do it!” Lofty wrapped Dom in a tight hug just as they went into the exam hall. Before the exam had begun, they glanced occasionally at each other for reassurance. 

They did exactly the same thing before chemistry and maths.   
……………………………………………………………………………

After all the exams were over, Dom and Lofty could finally relax. They chose to spend the night at Lofty’s house, watching Finding Dory and cuddling up to each other. 

When the film was half way through, Lofty suddenly paused it.

“What is it?” Dom asked, Lofty looked worried. 

“What if, I don’t get into university, and you do? Then what happens?” Lofty asked hesitantly.

“Lofty, you need to stop worrying! You have done amazingly well and I believe you will get into your first-choice university. Then, we will text and call each other every day and we can visit each other when we don’t have lectures. Please, just know that everything will work itself out, I promise.” Dom placed a kiss to Lofty’s head and pulled him in for a cuddle.  
…………………………………………………………………………

The summer holidays had gone by way too quickly. Before either of them knew it, results day was upon them. They both woke up in separate houses after agreeing that they should spend some time with their parents. Immediately, they missed the others presence so both got dressed as quickly as they could and rushed to school. Mr Griffin was there to greet them both and he handed them their results. As with their GCSE’s, Dom and Lofty made their way outside to sit on the wall. After a count of three, they opened their results and both burst into tears as they checked UCAS at the same time.

“I can’t believe it!” Lofty was staring at his phone as he saw that he had been accepted into his first-choice university.

“Me neither!” Dom replied, still shaking after getting the results he had desperately hoped for.

As though it was now instinct, they pulled each other in for a loving kiss and then went home to celebrate.  
……………………………………………………………………….

After a couple of weeks of going out with friends and spending endless amounts of time together, it was time to say goodbye as they headed off to opposite ends of the country for university.

Lofty stood next to his parent’s car as they prepared to drive him north which would take a good few hours.

“Well, this is it, the end of seeing each other every day.” Lofty began to speak with tears in his eyes as he took Dom’s hands in his own.

“No, Lofty, this is not the end. This is the beginning of something amazing. If we do grow apart, then I know I will see you one day in the future. You can count on that. But, for now, just know that I love   
you, and I will always be proud of you.” Dom kissed Lofty for what felt like forever until it was time for lofty to go. 

“I love you too, Dom, and I know you will be the most amazing doctor ever.” Lofty then pulled Dom in for a tight hug. Lofty then broke free, eventually, and he got into the car with his parents. As the car drove off, Dom knew that he might never see Lofty again. He stared at the car for as long as it was visible until he could no longer see it. 

Things would never, ever, be the same again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is such a long chapter! I am thinking of only doing a few more chapters but let me know if you want any more! I hope you all like it! X

8 years later

So much had happened to both Dom and Lofty since they left to go to university. They had graduated from different universities with top grades and then, while Dom went straight to work at Holby City Hospital, Lofty found himself unemployed so his parents funded his ‘trip of a lifetime’ to go and ‘find himself’.

Lofty had picked up small, short term jobs in local hospitals of the places he went to but it felt like there were no constants in his life anymore. Then, he decided to move back to England in order to find a job and a permanent home. He often thought about Dom and what life must be like for him now.

*********************************

Dom spent everyday staring at the same walls of Keller and, when there was a lack of patients on a night shift, he found himself remembering what life was like before medical school happened. He had been so happy when Lofty was in his life but it was so hard to say goodbye. While at university, without realising or knowing why, they had grown apart and, eventually they stopped talking altogether. He made a new best friend in Zosia March, although they were practically enemies to begin with.

New relationships began and ended in heartbreak. However, none were ever as heart-breaking as having to say goodbye to Lofty. Dom always found himself comparing everyone to Lofty and he couldn’t help it. No one was ever as kind, or as gorgeous, as Lofty was. He had now accepted that he was most likely never going to see him again but sometimes he liked remembering what life was like with Lofty 

in it.

“Dom, I have something I need to ask you.” Sacha, who was also on the night shift, rudely interrupted his thoughts.

“What is it?” Dom asked in reply.

“We have a new nurse starting soon and I would really like it if you could show him the ropes.” 

“Yes, of course I will, that’s fine, yes.” Dom seemed not to have heard the second part of the question.

******************************************

A couple of days later, Dom was finally working a day shift after a whole week of working nights which did nothing for his sleep pattern. Dom frowned as he realised that today was the day that the new nurse was starting work on Keller. He was too tired to fake laugh at every bad joke the nurse made. Grin and bear it, he thought as he made his way slowly towards the hospital from the car park, grin and bear it.

Ric Griffin quickly joined him as he entered the hospital and opted to take the stairs to make the journey slightly longer.

“You know, Dom, I always knew you would make an amazing doctor someday, and here you are. I am still in charge, of course, but you’ve made it. Just a quick question… what happened to that boy you always used to hang around with, Ben was it? I’d have thought you’d have stayed in touch.”

“Yes, well, we lost contact when we went to university at opposite ends of the country so, yeah, it didn’t last for very long. We were only together for three years so, no biggie.”

“You were together! I knew something was going on between you two. I am sorry that it didn’t work out.” Ric placed his hand on Dom’s shoulder kindly and then disappeared into his office.

Dom slowly scanned the ward in search of the new nurse whom he would have to look after all day. Just then, Sacha emerged from the staffroom and walked towards Dom.

“The new nurse is in there.” He began, gesturing towards the staffroom. “I want you to go in there, and be the lovely Dom we all know you can be. Play nice!” Sacha left to go and deal with a patient, leaving Dom to take a deep breath and smile as he entered the room.

“Hi, I’m Dominic Copeland, it’s nice to meet you.” Dom said to the new member of the team who was stood with his back to Dom, looking at the notice board. When he abruptly turned around, tripping over the bin in the process, Dom was shocked at who was staring back at him.

Lofty timidly raised his hand in a waving like motion. “Hi.” Neither said anything for a while, they just stared at each other. Sacha then came in, forcing them both to act natural.

“Right, Nurse Chiltern, you will be shadowing Doctor Copeland today, just so you can find out where everything is and see how we do things here, is that okay?” Sacha didn’t receive a reply, mainly because   
the Dom and Lofty were still astounded at the fact that they had crossed paths, unexpectedly, after eight years of not knowing whether the other was even alive. 

“Is, erm, is everything okay?” Sacha could feel the tension in the room so he began to wonder if Dom knew the new nurse.

“Sacha could I talk to you for a minute, outside?” Dom practically dragged him out of the room. Once outside, he didn’t know what he was going to say.

“Dom, is there something you’re not telling me?” Sacha was confused to say the least at what had just happened.

“This new nurse.” Dom pointed at the closed staffroom door. “Is my ex-boyfriend, Lofty.” 

“Wow. I never would have guessed, what’s with the nickname?” 

“It’s a long story apparently. But what do I do now? I can’t just pretend that everything is normal when it most definitely is not!”

“Okay, right, well, there is no one else available for him to shadow so you are just going to have to pretend, at least until after the shift when you tell him you still love him at the pub tonight.”

“I will not be doing that!” Dom tried his best not to shout so that no one heard him. He wasn’t successful though and soon, Lofty emerged from the room.

“Is everything alright?” Lofty asked Sacha and Dom.

“Yes, everything is fine, tickety-boo, top notch, now if you would like to go with Dominic here, then he will show you the ropes.” Sacha smiled eagerly as Dom walked away with Lofty at his heels.

*************************************

After a while of Lofty following him around the ward, Dom got pulled into theatre to assist with an emergency procedure so Lofty was left to his own devices. This gave him time to reflect on how much he had missed Dom over the past eight years. Lofty assumed that Dom had wanted to stop contacting him but he was trying to put on a brave face so he didn’t get too emotional.

“Ben Chiltern!” A surprised voice came from behind Lofty which startled him slightly. As he turned around, a familiar face greeted him with a huge smile.

“Mr Griffin? What are you doing here?” Lofty walked forwards to greet him with an awkward hug. 

“I’m the deputy CEO of the hospital, what are you doing here?”

“I’m the new nurse on Keller, erm, sir.” 

“Wow, this is a small world! And please, call me Ric, or Mr Griffin in front of patients. Well, I must get going but it was lovely to see you again Ben! Does Dom know you are here?”

“Erm, yes, and he isn’t too happy about it. You see, we were sort of together and then university happened and he stopped contacting me.”

“Dom and I were talking about you earlier and I assure you that he did not want to stop contacting you.” Ric then walked into theatre to assist.

****************************************

A couple of hours later, Lofty was on his break, and he decided to go and get some coffee. As he placed his order, he made the risky decision of taking Dom a coffee up as well. Luckily, Lofty still remembered his order.

Back up on the ward, he sat down at the table in the staffroom and waited for Dom to arrive. He was getting anxious at the thought of having to talk to Dom about something other than work but he knew it was a conversation they needed to have.

After 10 minutes of waiting, someone opened the door and, hoping it was Dom, Lofty looked up in excitement. However, it was only Sacha, so he tried to hide his disappointment.

Sitting down opposite Lofty, Sacha sat down. 

“Lofty, I can tell you still love Dom. He told me everything that happened. And I also know that this coffee is for him. Dom just left because his shift finished, but I promise that he feels the same way that you do.”

“How can you be sure? All I want is to be friends again but it was my own stupid fault. I thought he stopped replying. He thought I stopped replying. This is such a mess!”

“Lofty, Dom as good as told me that he loves you. So you need to go home, calm down, and come in tomorrow to win him back.

At those words, Lofty stood up and walked out of the room, he was determined to win Dom back.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being patient, this is very much a filler chapter as the next chapter will conclude the fanfic. Any comments are welcome, and I love you all very much! X

That night, Lofty went back to his flat and began brainstorming ideas of how to win back the love of his life. His first few ideas lacked in creativity as he decided that begging Dom to come back to him was never going to work or impress him. Other ideas included; a speech in Albie’s, buying him flowers with a note in them, just asking him on a date, and the most outgoing one, and the most impossible and least likely to work, was a plane creating a message in the sky. Okay, so his ideas weren’t the most likely to work, but at least he was trying.

After a few hours of brainstorming, and plenty of wine, he came to the conclusion that a picnic on the roof of the hospital was the best plan so they had time to talk and work things out. The only question was, how was it going to work?  
………………………………………………………………  
The day after, Lofty came in to work earlier than usual which led to questions from Sacha.

“Lofty, what are you doing here so early?” He asked.

Lofty looked extremely proud of himself. “I need your help.” 

“Of course, what can I do?”

Just then, Lofty saw Dom across the word, why was he early as well? He promptly dragged Sacha into the nearest room and barricaded the door.

“Right, so, I need you to distract Dom while I set everything up. Don’t let him on the roof. Then, in a couple of hours, I will page Dom and your mission will be complete. Okay?” Lofty was determined to make this work.

“Yes, I can do that, I can be very distracting, it is one of my best qualities.” Sacha looked smug but Lofty said nothing and promptly left to get on with setting up the picnic.

As Sacha left the office a few seconds later, he was met by a curious stare from Dom.

“Sacha, what were you two talking about?” He asked.

“Erm, um, nothing, much, well, you see the thing is, he needed some advice about cooking because, erm, someone is going to his house tonight and he needed, advice, yes, absolutely.” Sacha regretted it   
as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

“Oh, okay, well I suppose that it’s none of my business then really”. Dom looked heartbroken as he walked away slowly.  
………………………………………………………………...  
Lofty was busy hunting down some supplies for the picnic when he accidentally bumped into someone on the stairs.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, here let me help you.” He attempted to pick up the fallen paperwork but somehow managed to make things work.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay, I’ve got it”. The woman said calmly. “I don’t think we’ve met before, I’m Serena Campbell, vascular surgeon on AAU, and you are?” she said, holding out her hand.

“Erm, I’m Ben Chiltern, but everyone calls me Lofty. New nurse on Keller.” He replied, shaking her hand in return.

“Is everything alright? You seem to be rather panicked.” Serena sat down on the stairs and invited him to join her.

“Well, no, not really… I’m trying to win back the love of my life but I don’t even know if he’s interested in me anymore so I thought I could set up a picnic on the roof where we could talk things through but   
I can’t seem to find any supplies. Therefore, I am close to giving up on any hope that we might get back together.” Lofty looked defeated as he finished speaking.

“Oh, well, I might just be able to help with that. I have some experience with panic buying for romantic events. My, um, my girlfriend, Bernie, is not very good at buying the good stuff so I am usually the one to set up picnics and the like. Can I ask, does the love of your life work here?” Serena asked.

“Yes, he is a doctor on Keller, Dominic Copeland. We met at school and became best friends before we dated for three years. Mr Griffin was our biology teacher actually. Anyway, we grew apart when university happened and I didn’t expect to see him ever again and yet here he is, working on the same ward as me.”

“Well, I did not imagine that Ric Griffin could be cut out for the teaching profession. Dom has been through a lot in the past year, so you should be careful. It isn’t my place to say but if you hurt him, then Bernie will be on to you.” She warned.

“Don’t worry, I don’t intend on hurting him, he means too much to me.” Lofty reassured her.

“Good, right, well, I should be getting back to work, I have some decent bottles of wine if you would like them. I mean it’s Shiraz, my favourite, but you seem to be more in need of them than me.”

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.” He wrapped his arms tightly around Serena to thank her and quickly ran off to sort everything else out.  
……………………………………………………………………..  
“Hi, Dom”. Bernie approached him as he sat in the staff room of Keller. “How are you?”

“I’m okay I suppose, just thinking.” He replied.

“About?”

“Isaac.” Dom said glumly.

“Oh, right.”

“My, erm, my ex showed up yesterday. The new nurse, Lofty, we had a bit of a thing back in high school for about three years. We grew apart in university but, the truth is, I suppose I never stopped loving him. I always think about what would have happened if Lofty and I had stayed together. I would never have met Isaac, and everything would be okay. Of course, I don’t blame Lofty for what happened, but I can’t help wondering.” Dom ended up sitting on the sofa, resting his head on Bernie’s shoulder. The two had quickly become very close friends.

“So, why don’t you go for it?”

“Ha, well, that’s the thing, he’s seeing someone else.” Bernie looked shocked. “Sacha told me he gave Lofty some advice about cooking as he is having someone around tonight. There is no point because I won’t come anywhere close to whoever it is that he is now dating.”

“Well, Dominic, you may be mistaken.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all like this! I was really excited about starting to write this so I hope it was worth it! Any comments are welcome. x


End file.
